Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Teen who received handgun as graduation present unintentionally shoots friend

18-year-old Logan Evans, of Plankinton, South Dakota, was riding with three friends on I-90 Saturday morning. Evans had just received a 9mm handgun as a high school graduation present and was showing off the gun.
He removed the magazine from the gun and, thinking the gun was now empty, pointed it at Nick Lawson, who was sitting in the back seat, and pulled the trigger.
Lawson was shot in the chest. He was airlifted to the hospital in Sioux Falls. The hospital has not released his condition but according to social media posts, Lawson is improving but remains in the hospital.
The local school superintendent said that Evans graduated high school this year and that Lawson will be a senior next year. "It's obviously a tragic accident," he said, "we just hope and wish for the best for all people involved."
Evans has been charged with aggravated assault and reckless discharge of a firearm.

I think it was a mistake to give him a gun in the first place; but if you are going to give a gun to a teenager, at least insist he is trained to handle it safely before he is allowed to take possession of it.

Ohh Shoot highlights unintentional shootings. Some might refer to these as accidental shootings, but accident is too often interpreted as unavoidable. The shootings on this blog did not have to happen. Safe storage, better gun design, gun safety training are just some of the measures that could have prevented these tragedies.